CS230473C Hib also known as Haemophilus influenzae type b “ “Gasping forLife”:A True Story that canbeprevented withavaccine.” dyingfromadisease child sufferingandnearly puts it, thanyour “Thereisalmostnothingworse AsKellyis thatinfantimmunizationcrucial. the diseasefrom.WhatLaceksdoknownow The familydoesnotknowwhoMatthew caught to vaccination.” quickly, becauseHibisrarenow, thanks admitted they mightnothave identifieditso pediatricians atachildren’s hospital, andthey recognized Hib,” says Kelly. “We laterspoke to “We were lucky thedoctoratourlocalhospital have never seenacaseofHibdisease. States hasplummeted.Asaresult, many doctors late 1980s, thenumberofcasesinUnited Hibvaccine Since thefirst was introducedinthe fully vaccinated. afterward. Today, Matthew andStephenare catching Matthew uponhisvaccinationssoon made acompleterecovery. TheLaceksbegan He spent6days inthehospitalandeventually intohiswindpipesohecouldbreathe. inserted can befatal.Matthew immediatelyhadatube essence. Withoutprompttreatment, Hibdisease When itcomestoaHibinfection, timeisofthe Haemophilus influenzaetypeb—knownasHib. was swollenbecausehewas infectedwith ago.Matthew’smore than20years windpipe the diseaseasonehehadseenoften— hospital. There, aseasonedphysician recognized himtotheirlocal Hisparentsrushed breathing. birthday, having trouble whenMatthew started It was April22, 2006,afterhisthird shortly in tragedy. almostended Acting onthismisinformation safety ofchildhoodvaccines. the thatcausedthemnottotrust misinformation care professionaltheygave trusted them stopped vaccinatingtheirkidsafterahealth roundofshots.TheLaceks had onlyhisfirst all vaccinations;andMatthew, theyoungest, Stephen, themiddlechild, hadsomebutnot Ashley, theoldest, was fullyvaccinated; Kelly andherhusbandhave threechildren. still athreat.” I “Every parentshouldknowthesediseasesare “Every children shotsforstillexist,” says Kelly Lacek. didn’t realizeit, butthediseasesthatthey give DISEASES heard ofHiborknowhowdangerous itcanbe.” most parents have heard ofpolio, have buttheymay not Even thoughwe nolongerhave poliocasesinthiscountry, forpoliointheUnited Statesbeforethe risk vaccination. Control andPrevention “That’s (CDC). aboutthesameas Dr.pediatrician ElizabethBriere oftheCentersforDisease invasive age5,” Hibdiseasewas1outof200by says “Before Hibvaccinewasavailable, achild’s forgetting risk mental impairment. disability, includingblindness, deafness, or year died,andasmany as4,000sufferedlife-long serious many Hibmeningitiseach as600ofthechildren whogot meningitisinthiscountry.common causeofbacterial As 5 yearsHibmeningitis. Hibwasthemost Infact, old—got 12,000 children eachyear—most ofthemyounger than In theUnitedStates, before Hibvaccinewasavailable, about (infection inthelungs). breathinglead toserious problems), aswell aspneumonia (life-threatening infectionthatcanblockthewindpipeand Hib. be causedby The diseasealsocancauseepiglottitis and spinalcord) isjustoneoftheinvasive diseasesthatcan Meningitis (infectionofthecovering around thebrain each year. Allinvasive infectionscanbelife-threatening. there were more than20,000casesofinvasive Hibdisease happens, severe. diseaseisvery Overall, before Hibvaccine, as thefluidaround thebrainandspinalcord). Whenthis are ofthebodythatnormally free from(such parts germs invasive diseases. Invasive invade diseasemeansthatgerms influenzae typeb, canbeserious, especiallywhenitcauses Haemophilus thebacteria Hib disease,whichiscausedby Hib isSeriousandPotentially Deadly serious diseasewasnearlywipedoutintheUnitedStates.”serious Diseases. “InlessthanadecadeofusingthisHibvaccine,the CDC’s National CenterforImmunization andRespiratory States in1991,” explainsDr. director AnneSchuchat, of first recommended forinfantsand toddlersintheUnited Hibvaccinethatwe usenowwas safevaccine. “The and very ofanamazinglyeffective ofHibtoday isthestory The story Hib Today disease isspread. symptoms. thisisthemostcommonway Infact, thatthe show intheirnosesandthroatsthe bacteria butwhodonot More importantly, Hibcanbespread peoplewhohave by Hib canbespread peoplewhoare by ill withthedisease. droplets from acoughorsneeze. contact withrespiratory Hib isspread from direct orby persontoby contact, How HibSpreads and the VACCINES THAT PREVENTTHEM Reviewed February2013 Reviewed By 1998, only 54 cases of invasive Hib disease were reported in Making an Effective Hib Vaccine for Infants children younger than 5 years old. Today, with ongoing vaccination, every year there are fewer than 55 cases and fewer than 5 deaths When most of today’s moms were infants, the Hib vaccine was not from Hib among children under 5 years of age. available. But at the time, people were working hard to develop an effective vaccine to prevent needless suffering and death from “Despite the success of the vaccine, parents need to remember the infection with Haemophilus influenzae type b. disease is still out there. It is common in some countries and so it To produce immunity, the first Hib vaccines used a sugar-like can spread to the United States. Hib can also spread in this country substance from the surface of the Hib bacteria. Unfortunately, these because Hib bacteria are carried in the noses and throats of people first Hib vaccines were not very effective because the immune system who are not sick from the disease,” explains Dr. Schuchat. “So, did not respond well to these substances. Today’s Hib vaccines are vaccinating infants and toddlers on time to protect them against Hib made by joining the sugar-like substance to other antigens (the parts disease is crucial. And fully vaccinated children won’t spread the of germs that cause the body’s immune system to go to work) that the disease to others, including infants and toddlers who are too young to immune system responds to very well. This seemingly simple change have gotten all their recommended doses of Hib vaccine.” resulted in vaccines that are very effective in infants and toddlers. In countries where Hib vaccine is used routinely, the disease has been virtually eliminated. Hib vaccine has a long track record of being very safe; it has not been found to cause serious side effects.

Hib Vaccination Can’t Wait Hib can be considered,” adds Dr. Meg Fisher of the American Academy of Pediatrics. efore vaccination to protect against “ Hib, most of those infected with Hib Understanding Bacterial Bwere infants younger than 1 year old, Meningitis and infection was most common among infants age 6 through 12 months. That’s eningitis is an infection of the covering why the primary doses of Hib vaccine are Maround the brain and the spinal cord. Benefits of Hib Vaccine recommended to be given by 6 months,” The results of meningitis can be devastating, Getting Hib vaccine as explains Dr. Briere. Four doses of the Hib and can lead to life-long disability—including recommended— vaccine are recommended: one at 2 months, intellectual disability—or death. • Saves lives. 4 months, and 6 months old, and the final Before Hib vaccine, Hib was the leading cause • Prevents hospitalizations. dose at 12 through 15 months old. For one of bacterial meningitis in the United States. brand of the vaccine, a dose at 6 months is • Prevents serious life-long disability Hib used to cause about 12,000 cases such as blindness, deafness, and not required. To reduce the number of shots of meningitis every year, but thanks to the mental retardation. needed at a doctor visit, other vaccines vaccine, Hib meningitis is now rare. have been combined with Hib vaccine. Your • Protects young children for whom Now, the leading causes of bacterial doctor can tell you more about combination the disease can be especially serious. meningitis are two other bacteria, vaccines. • Protects the community, especially Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria infants and toddlers who are too Most cases of Hib today are in children who meningitidis. The good news: there are also young to be fully vaccinated, and have not received Hib vaccine or who have not vaccines to prevent infection with these people who have weak immune been fully vaccinated. “Because Hib disease bacteria. The pneumococcal conjugate systems. is still out there in communities, delaying vaccine is recommended for infants and Risks of Hib Vaccine Hib vaccination is dangerous,” stresses Dr. toddlers and the meningococcal conjugate Briere. Every child should get each dose of • Mild problems include redness, vaccine is recommended for children starting Hib vaccine on time, starting at age at age 11 years. warmth, swelling or pain where 2 months. the shot is given in up to one out of Diagnosing bacterial meningitis usually four children. “Some children, like those in child care, and requires a spinal tap, in which a needle • Fever can occur in up to 1 out of Alaska Native and American Indian children, is used to take out some of the fluid that 20 children. are at increased risk for Hib disease. It’s surrounds the spinal cord for testing. Typical especially important for these infants not to signs of meningitis include stiff neck, severe miss Hib vaccinations,” says Dr. Briere. headache, and changes in mental function. In “If a child who has not had all doses of Hib infants, these signs can be difficult to detect, Selected References vaccine on time becomes ill, parents should if they happen at all. Infants with meningitis Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Haemophilus influenzae type b. In: Atkinson W, make sure to tell paramedics, nurses, or may appear inactive or irritable. They may Hamborsky J, McIntyre L, Wolfe S, eds. Epidemiology doctors that their child is not fully vaccinated also vomit or not eat much. The spinal tap and Prevention of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases (The Pink Book). 11th ed. Washington, DC: Public Health against Hib so that the possibility of illnesses helps doctors determine whether this serious Foundation, 2009. p. 71–84. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ pubs/pinkbook/default.htm such as meningitis and epiglottitis caused by infection is present. CDC. Progress toward elimination of Haemophilus influenzae type b invasive disease among infants and children-United States, 1990–2000. MMWR 2002;51(11):234–237. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of preview/mmwrhtml/mm5111a4.htm Bisgard KM, et al. Haemophilus influenzae invasive disease Family Physicians, and the American Academy of Pediatrics in the United States, 1994–1995: Near disappearance of a vaccine-preventable childhood disease. Emerging Infect strongly recommend vaccines. Dis 1998;4(2):229–237. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/ vol4no2/bisgard.htm 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636) http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines